Online Edition:
March 2014
Vol. XX, No. 1
Lent Prayers
Lenten PrayerThe first element [in the Lenten journey] is prayer. Prayer is the strength of the Christian and of every believing person. In the weakness and fragility of our life, we can turn to God with the confidence of children and enter into communion with Him. In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and that could harden the heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of God’s boundless love, to enjoy its tenderness. Lent is a time of prayer, a more intense, more diligent prayer, more able to take care of the needs of the brethren, [and] to intercede before God for the many situations of poverty and suffering.
— Pope Francis from Ash Wednesday Homily March 5, 2014
“Lent stimulates us to let the word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truths of who we are, where we come from, where we must go, and what path we must take in life. Thus, the Lenten season offers us an ascetic and liturgical journey that, helping us to open our eyes in the face of our weaknesses, makes us open our hearts to the merciful love of Christ.” — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI – Ash Wednesday Homily, February 12, 2010
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